Drive an Uber and...: Ex-PlayStation chief Chris Deering’s advice to laid-off game developers

Chris Deering, who played a crucial role in launching the original PlayStation and PlayStation 2 during his tenure at Sony, is making headlines for his suggestion to game developers who recently suffered recent job losses due to large-scale layoffs amid restructuring measures to bring down costs.

While speaking during the My Perfect Console podcast, Chris Deering advised game developers caught amid job uncertainty to take a year off and find affordable living options. Recommending them to work as Uber drivers until the industry recovers, the 79-year-old businessman said, “You're going to have to take a few, figure out how to get through it, drive an Uber or whatever. Find a cheap place to live and go to the beach for a year,” reported moneycontrol.

Igniting debate over these controversial comments, Chris Deering, the former President of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe and Cudo Ventures advisor, recommended affected individuals to remain connected to the industry and not disengage entirely. He added, "Keep up with your news… once you get off the train, it’s much harder.”

The downtime of the gaming industry is marked by substantial downsizing reports since last year. According to reports, over 22,000 workers have been laid off since 2023, including 900 employees from Sony’s PlayStation division. Companies such as Microsoft and Unity laid off around 4,000 employees this year.

Chris Deering's remarks were widely criticised by the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB). Taking to social media platform X (formerly Twitter), the Union said, “With a strong union, we can get what we deserve — work-life balance and job security. Without it, we're left with ‘let them eat cake.’”

Amid struggling gaming industry, former Sony CEO and chairman of Sony Interactive Entertainment, Jim Ryan described the cost-cutting measures as a need of the hour to “streamline resources." Meanwhile, Unity executives reasoned that that they the need to “focus on core business.”